A large PDF isn’t always what you want to share. You may need to send one chapter of a report, upload each certificate separately, or split a scanned batch into individual documents. Splitting a PDF takes a few seconds and doesn’t change the quality of the pages.

Three tools, three jobs

Convertpdfly has three tools that take pages out of a PDF. Picking the right one saves time:

  • Split PDF makes several separate files, one per page or one per range you type.
  • Extract Pages makes one new file from the pages you click.
  • Remove Pages keeps the same document without the pages you click.

Split every page into its own file

This is useful when you’ve scanned a pile of different documents in one go: an ID card, a degree, a reference letter and so on. Each page needs to be its own file.

  1. Open Split PDF and add your file.
  2. Choose “One file per page”.
  3. Click Split PDF. You get a ZIP file containing one PDF per page, named with the page number, such as scan_page3.pdf.

Then rename each file so it describes the document, for example degree-certificate.pdf. Upload portals and HR departments appreciate clear names.

Split into chapters or sections

For a report or book, you usually want groups of pages. Choose “Custom ranges” and type the ranges, separated by commas:

  • 1-4, 5-12, 13-end makes three files: pages 1 to 4, 5 to 12, and 13 to the last page.
  • 1, 2-end separates the cover page from the rest.
  • 7 on its own makes a file with only page 7.

The word end always means the last page, so you don’t need to know how long the document is. Use the table of contents to find where each chapter starts.

Getting under an upload size limit

Some portals only accept files under 2 MB or 5 MB. If your PDF is too big, you have two options:

  • Make it smaller with Compress PDF. This works especially well for scans. Our guide to reducing PDF file size explains the options.
  • Split it into parts and upload them separately, if the portal allows several files.

Does splitting reduce quality?

No. Pages are copied exactly as they are, with the same text, images and links. Text stays selectable and searchable. Each part usually comes out smaller than the original, because it contains fewer pages.

Opening the ZIP file

Splitting usually creates several files, so they’re bundled into one ZIP download. On Windows and Mac, double-click it. On iPhone, tap it in the Files app. On Android, open it in the Files by Google app or your file manager and tap Extract.

Putting pages back together

Changed your mind, or need a different combination? Merge PDF joins files back together in any order, and Organize PDF rearranges pages within one file. All of these tools run in your browser, so your documents are never uploaded.